Apparatus for recording data on and/or reproducing data from optical disc

ABSTRACT

An optical disc on which data is recorded and/or from which the data is reproduced, includes a recording area where the data is recorded in at least one physical cluster, a defective area, where a defect that prevents a recording and/or reproduction of data is present, provided in the recording area, and a recording end area where information indicating an end of recording is recorded before the defective area. A method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from a high density optical disc having a defective area, includes recording the data in a predetermined recording area having the defective area, and recording end data indicating an end of the recording before the defective area.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/440,242, filed Nov. 20, 2003 and currently pending, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-27949, filed on May 20, 2002 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a high density optical disc and a method of recording data on and/or reproducing data from the high density optical disc, and more particularly, to a high density optical disc in which, where data is continuously recorded in an area including a defective area, information indicating an end of a recording is recorded in a preceding area that precedes the defective area and a linking is performed in a subsequent area that is subsequent to the defective area, and a method of recording data on and/or reproducing data from the high density optical disc.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Generally, optical discs are widely used as information recording media for an optical pickup apparatus which records and/or reproduces information in a non-contact manner. The optical discs include compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc., which are classified according to the information recording capacity. For example, there are 650 MB CD-Rs, CD-RWs, 4.7 GB DVD+RWs, etc., as optical discs capable of being recorded on, erased, and reproduced from. Furthermore, an HD-DVD having a 23 GB recording capacity has been developed.

[0006] In the case of a conventional CD-RW capable of a repetitive recording, a basic recording unit in which a predetermined amount of data can be recorded is referred to as a packet and the known structure of the packet is shown in FIG. 1. A plurality of run-in blocks 103 and run-out blocks 105 are arranged before and after a user data block 105, where user data is recorded. Also, a link block 100 is provided at a leading portion of a basic recording unit to enable a continuous recording. However, where the user data block 105 includes a defective area where a recording is not possible, since data cannot be recorded in the defective area, the recording must be terminated before the defective area. However, where the defective area is found, there is no definition made with respect to a recording and/or reproduction method or the structure of an optical disc. Thus, it is likely that the defective area is processed differently according to the manufacturer of the disc or the recording and/or reproduction apparatus. Accordingly, a compatibility problem of a disc drive may occur.

[0007] Korean Patent Publication No. 2000-75374 filed by the present applicant discloses a defective area processing method and a recording medium in which a linking scheme of a predetermined rule is applied just behind a defective area with respect to a DVD-RW.

[0008] However, in the case of a high density optical disc having a capacity of 20 GB or more, to be introduced in the near future, where a defective area is found, there is no definition of a method and a structure of a disc to process the defective area. Thus, the above-described compatibility problem of a disc drive arises, and accordingly, a recording and/or reproduction becomes unstable with respect to the disc. Therefore, for the case in which a defective area is found in a high density optical disc, a definition of a recording and/or reproduction method and a structure of a disc corresponding thereto is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide an optical disc in which, where a defective area is found during a verification of the disc or a recording and/or reproduction of data, recording end data indicating that a recording is terminated is recorded just before the defective area, and a method of recording data on and/or reproducing data from the optical disc. Thus, since the compatibility of a disc drive is ensured, the recording and/or reproduction performance of a high density optical disc is improved.

[0010] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an optical disc and a method of recording data on and/or reproducing data from the optical disc in which recording and/or reproduction operations are performed smoothly and continuously by performing a linking subsequent to a defective area.

[0011] Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

[0012] To achieve the above and/or other aspects of the present invention, there is provided an optical disc on which data is recorded and/or from which the data is reproduced, comprising a recording area where the data is recorded, a defective area, included in the recording area, where a defect that prevents a recording and/or reproduction of data is present, and a recording end area, provided before the defective area, where information indicating an end of the recording is recorded.

[0013] The defective area may be found during a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data.

[0014] The optical disc may further comprise a run-in and a run-out which are provided before and after a physical cluster, respectively, wherein the data is recorded in a unit of the physical cluster, and the run-in and the run-out are provided to accurately record the data.

[0015] A predetermined amount of data may be recorded in a basic recording unit of the optical disc, and an end portion of the basic recording unit may include a guard-3 where end data indicating the end of the recording is recorded.

[0016] The guard-3 may have a length of at least 300 channel bits and formed of a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.

[0017] The recording may be performed with respect to the defective area by lowering recording power of a light source for the recording, to a power that does not incur the recording. The recoding power of the light source may be maintained as a reproduction power with respect to the defective area.

[0018] The recording area may comprise a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.

[0019] To achieve the above and/or other aspects of the present invention, there is provided another optical disc on which data is recorded and/or from which the data is reproduced, comprising a recording area where the data is recorded, a defective area, included in the recording area, where a defect that prevents a recording and/or reproduction of data is present, a recording end area, provided before the defective area, where information indicating an end of the recording is recorded, and a linkage which is set to occur subsequent to the defective area.

[0020] The data may be recorded in a unit of a physical cluster. The optical disc may further comprise a run-in and a run-out which are provided before and after the physical cluster, respectively. The run-in and the run-out may include a guard-1 and a guard-2, respectively, which protect user data.

[0021] To achieve the above and/or other aspects of the present invention, there is provided a method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from an optical disc having a defective area, the method comprising recording the data in a predetermined recording area having the defective area, and recording information indicating an end of the recording before the defective area.

[0022] The method may further comprise processing a linkage to occur subsequent to the defective area.

[0023] The data may be recorded in units of physical clusters.

[0024] To achieve the above and/or other aspects of the present invention, there is provided another method of recording data on and/reproducing the data from an optical disc having a defective area, the method comprising recording the data in a predetermined recording area having the defective area, and processing a linkage to occur subsequent to the defective area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

[0026]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a basic recording unit applied to a conventional CD-RW;

[0027]FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating a structure where data is recorded in a single physical cluster, according to the present invention;

[0028]FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating a recording structure where data is continuously recorded in a plurality of physical clusters, according to the present invention; FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a case in which a defective area is detected, where data is continuously recorded in a plurality of physical clusters, in an optical disc according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029]FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating an optical disc having a defective area, to explain a method of recording and/or reproducing data by processing the defective area of the optical disc, according to the present invention;

[0030]FIG. 3C is a view illustrating the power of a light source where recording and/or reproduction operations are performed with respect to an optical disc according to the present invention;

[0031]FIGS. 4A and 4B are block diagrams illustrating the structure of a run-in and a run-out, respectively, of an optical disc according to the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating that a linkage is generated subsequent to a defective area according to a method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from an optical disc according to the present invention; and

[0033]FIGS. 6A and 6B are block diagrams illustrating an optical disc having a defective area according to another embodiment of the present invention and a method of recording and/or reproduction by processing the defective area of the optical disc.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

[0035]FIG. 2A shows a case in which data is recorded in a single physical cluster 5 in a high density optical disc that records and/or reproduces the data. FIG. 2B shows a case in which data is continuously recorded in a plurality of physical clusters 15. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, run-ins 3 and 13 and run-outs 8 and 18 are disposed before and after the physical clusters 5 and 15, respectively. The run-ins 3 and 13 and the run-outs 8 and 18 allow an accurately recording of data in the physical clusters 5 and 15 during a recording and/or reproducing of data. That is, where data is recorded in the run-ins 3 and 13 or the run-outs 8 and 18, which is not a correct position for the data, an error correction is processed so as to allow the data to be smoothly recorded and/or reproduced.

[0036] Also, a guard-3 10 or 20, where information indicating an end of a recording is stored, is provided at an end portion where the recording ends. That is, a data recording and/or reproduction of a basic recording unit, where a predetermined amount of data is recorded, is completed by the guard-3. Here, although a physical cluster is explained as a minimum recording unit where user data is recorded, other units including a sector, an ECC block, or a frame may be a minimum recording unit.

[0037]FIG. 3A shows an optical disc according to an embodiment of the present invention. Where a recording and/or reproduction is continuously performed with respect to a basic recording unit having a predetermined capacity, in which user data is recorded, and a defective area 16 where data cannot be recorded and/or reproduced is found, an address corresponding to the defective area 16 is stored in a defect list area. The defective area 16 can also be found during a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded, in addition to during the recording and/or reproduction of data. Where the defective area 16 is found during the verification of the optical disc, meaningless data that cannot be reproduced is recorded and the defective area 16 is detected by this recording.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 3B, where a recording is performed with respect to a predetermined recording area including the defective area 16, since the recording cannot be performed in the defective area 16, a recording end area 14, where data indicating that the recording is terminated, is provided just before the defective area 16. The recording end area 14 can be configured identically to the guard-3 20. That is, the recording end area 14 can be configured to have the same length and pattern as the guard-3 20. For example, where the guard-3 20 has a length of at least 300 channel bits and a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T, the recording end area 14 may be configured to have the same length and pattern as the guard-3 20. Here, 3T and 5T are units of a length of a mark recorded on a disc.

[0039] Where data is recorded on an optical disc having the above structure, as shown in FIG. 3C, a recording is performed by maintaining the power of a light source (not shown) as a recording power Pw. Starting from a rear portion of the recording end area 14, before the defective area 16 begins, the power of the light source is controlled to be lower than the recording power Pw so as to prevent the recording. The power of the light source can be reduced to a reproduction power Pr. Here, the power of the light source is, for example, lowered before the recording end area 14 ends. As shown in FIG. 3B, the power is controlled to be the reproduction power Pr from a position indicated by a dotted line in the recording end area 14.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4A, the run-in 13 includes, for example, a guard-1 13 a having a predetermined pattern to overcome an overwriting due to a mismatch or change of a data recording start point, and a preamble 13 b to perform a signal processing, for example, a locking or synchronizing. As shown in FIG. 4B, the run-out 18 includes, for example, a post-amble 18 a to perform a signal processing and a guard-2 18 b having a predetermined pattern to remove an overwriting due to a change of the data recording start point. As a result, the guard-1 13 a and guard-2 18 b serve as a buffer to protect user data. Here, the guard-2 18 b and guard-3 20 can be configured to have the same lengths and patterns. For example, the guard-2 18 b and guard-3 20 may have lengths of at least 300 channel bits and may be formed by continuous patterns including at least 3T and 5T.

[0041] A linkage may be generated subsequent to the defective area 16 so as to resume a recording from a physical cluster subsequent to the defective area 16. Thus, the power of the light source is raised back to the recording power Pw from a rear portion of a run-out 18′ subsequent to the defective area 16 and a data recording begins again. For example, referring back to FIG. 3B, an arrow between the run-out 18′ and the run-in 13″ after the defective area 16 indicates that the linkage is generated.

[0042] A method of recording data on and/or reproducing data from an optical disc according to the present invention will now be described.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 3A through 3C, where the defective area 16, in which no data can be recorded, is found during a verification of a disc or during a recording of data on or reproduction of data from the disc, data indicating that the recording ends is recorded in the run-in area 13′ disposed before the defective area 16. Thus, the recording is not performed in the defective area 16 due to the recording end data. Here, the power of the light source in the defective area 16 is controlled to be lower than the recording power Pw, for example, the reproduction power Pr, so as not to record data.

[0044] Thereafter, a linkage is generated so as to record data in an area subsequent to the defective area 16. That is, the run-out 18′ and the run-in-13″ subsequent to the defective area 16 are linked.

[0045]FIG. 5 shows that the run-out 18′ and the run-in-13″ subsequent to the defective area 16 are linked. Where the recording resumes after the defective area 16, data can be recorded overlapping a part of the run-out 18′ and a part of the run-in 13″ subsequent thereto, not in a desired position for the recording. In this case, the linking is performed by correcting an error corresponding to a portion where the recording overlaps. Here, the error correction is made in preparation for a case in which the recording does not resume at an accurate recording start point, where a recording ends before the defective area 16 and resumes after the defective area 16.

[0046] Where the guard-2 18 b and the guard-3 20 present in the run-out 18′ have the same configuration, that is, the same length and pattern, it may be advantageous to use the same linking scheme suggested for the guard-3 20. As a result, recording and/or reproduction operations are smoothly performed after the defective area 16. Recording and/or reproduction are continuously performed up to a physical cluster 15″ subsequent to the run-in 13″. Where another defective area is found during the recording and/or reproduction, a recording end area is defined just before the defective area in the same manner as described above, and a linkage is generated so as to resume the recording in an area subsequent to the defective area. The physical cluster 15″ is formed of, for example, 496 recording frames (Rec.Frame) (15″-1, 15″-2, . . . ). In FIG. 5, these recording frames are illustrated after the run-in 13″. Here, cluster k denotes the kth physical cluster.

[0047] Referring back to FIGS. 3A-3C, a recording is performed as the power of the light source is maintained at the recording power Pw in the run-in 13″ subsequent to the defective area 16. The guard-3 20 indicating the end of recording is recorded at the end of a basic recording unit where a predetermined amount of data can be recorded. Here, the recording end data, that is, the guard-2, recorded before the defective area 16, is configured to be the same as the guard-3 20. For example, the guard-3 s 14 and 20 may have a length of at least 300 channel bits and are configured as a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.

[0048] An optical disc and a method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from an optical disc according to another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B.

[0049]FIG. 6A shows a state prior to a recording, which is performed according to a method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from an optical disc, according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, a recording has been performed from an (n−2)th physical cluster 22 to an nth block 28 and a blank area in which no data is recorded is present starting from an (n+1)th block 31. The (n−2)th through (n+1)th blocks 22, 25, 28, and 31 have run-ins 21, 24, and 27 and run-outs 23, 26, 29, and 32, respectively, and a defective area is found in the nth block 28. Since the recording is terminated in the nth block 28, a guard-3 30 indicating the end of recording is recorded in a run-in area disposed after the nth block 28. Here, the recording is performed from the (n−2)th block 22 to the (n+1)th block 31, a part of a recording area is already recorded on and the remaining part is not recorded on. In this case, a method of recording and/or reproducing data with respect to the optical disc, according to the present invention, can be applied.

[0050]FIG. 6B shows a state in which a recording has been performed according to a method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from an optical disc according to the present invention.

[0051] A recording begins from the (n−2)th block 22 and ends before the nth block 28, which is a defective area. Thus, a guard-3 37 indicating the end of recording is recorded before the defective area 28. The run-out 29 and the run-in 30′ subsequent to the defective area 28 are linked. A guard-3 33 indicating the end of recording is recorded in the run-in subsequent to the (n+1)th block 31 where the recording ends.

[0052] Where the recording is performed in an area including a defective area found during a continuous data recording and/or reproduction with respect to a high density optical disc, or during a verification of a blank disc, data indicating the end of recording is recorded just before the defective area and a linkage is defined to occur subsequent to the defective area. Thus, a more stable and reliable data recording and/or reproduction is possible.

[0053] In an optical disc and a method of recording data on and/or reproducing the data from the optical disc according to the present invention, where a defective area is present, since data indicating the end of recording is recorded such that a recording ends before the defective area, recording is not performed in the defective area. Furthermore, since a linkage is processed to occur in an area subsequent to the defective area, the data is stably recorded and/or reproduced. In the high density optical disc where the data is continuously recorded and/or reproduced, by proposing a standard to process the defective area, the compatibility of a disc drive is ensured, and accordingly, reliability in recording and/or reproduction with respect to the high density optical disc is improved.

[0054] Although a few preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus to recording and/or reproduce data with respect to an optical disc comprising a recording area where the data is recorded, a defective area included in the recording area and where a defect that prevents a recording and/or reproduction of data is present, and a recording end area provided before the defective area and where information indicating an end of the recording is recorded, the apparatus comprising: a light source which emits a light beam used to record and/or reproduce the data with respect to the optical disc; and a processor which finds the defect, processes the information indicating the end, and records and/or reproduces the data with respect to the defect and the processed information.
 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor performs a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data, and finds the defective area during the verification.
 3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor controls the data to be recorded in a unit of a physical cluster, and provides a run-in and a run-out before and after the recorded physical cluster, respectively, to accurately record the data in the physical cluster.
 4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor records a predetermined amount of the data in a basic recording unit of the optical disc, and records an end portion of the basic recording unit including a guard-3 which comprises end data indicating the end of the recording.
 5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor controls the recording end area to be configured the same as the guard-3.
 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the guard 3 has a length of at least 300 channel bits and is formed of a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor lowers a recording power of the light source for the recording to a power that does not incur the recording when the defective area is encountered while recording the data.
 8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the recording power of the light source is maintained as a reproduction power with respect to the defective area.
 9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recording area comprises a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 10. An apparatus to record and/or reproduce data with respect to an optical disc comprising a recording area where the data is recorded, a defective area included in the recording area and where a defect that prevents a recording and/or reproduction of data is present, a recording end area provided before the defective area and where information indicating an end of the recording is recorded, and a linkage disposed subsequent to the defective area, the apparatus comprising: a light source which emits a light beam used to record and/or reproduce the data with respect to the optical disc; and a processor which finds the defect, processes the information indicating the end, processes the linkage, and records and/or reproduces the data with respect to the defect and the processed information and linkage.
 11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processor performs a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data, and finds the defective area during the verification.
 12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processor controls the data to be recorded in a unit of a physical cluster, and provides a run-in and a run-out before and after the recorded physical cluster, respectively, to accurately record the data in the physical cluster.
 13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein: the processor controls a predetermined amount of data to be recorded in a basic recording unit of the optical disc, and controls an end portion of the basic recording unit to include a guard-3 which includes end data indicating the end.
 14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the recording end area is configured to be the same as the guard-3.
 15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the guard-3 has a length of at least 300 channel bits and is formed of a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processor lowers a recording power of the light source for the recording to a power that does not incur the recording when the defective area is encountered while recording the data.
 17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the recording power of the light source is maintained as a reproduction power with respect to the defective area.
 18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the run-in and the run-out include a guard-1 and a guard-2, respectively, which protect user data.
 19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein: an end portion of the physical cluster includes a guard-3 includes end data indicating the end of the recording, and the guard-2 has the same length and pattern as the guard-3.
 20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19, wherein the guard-2 has a length of at least 300 channel bits and is formed of a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the recording area comprises a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 22. An apparatus for recording and/or reproducing data with respect to an optical disc having a defective area, the apparatus comprising: a light source which emits a light beam used to record and/or reproduce the data with respect to the optical disc and a processor which records the data in a predetermined recording area having the defective area, and records information indicating an end of the recording before the defective area.
 23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the processor further processes a linkage recorded on the optical disc subsequent to the defective area.
 24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the processor further performs a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data and detects the defective area during the verification.
 25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the processor controls the data to be recorded in units of physical clusters.
 26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the processor controls the data to be recorded in units of physical clusters.
 27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the processor controls the recording of the data by lowering a recording power of the light source to a power that does not incur the recording with respect to the defective area.
 28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein, while the processor controls the lowering of the recording power, the processor maintains the recording power as a reproduction power with respect to the defective area.
 29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the processor records the data by: recording the data in a unit of a physical cluster; and providing a run-in and a run-out before and after the physical cluster to accurately record the data in the physical cluster.
 30. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the processor records the data by: recording a predetermined amount of data in a basic recording unit; and providing a guard-3 to record end data indicating the end of the recording at an end portion of the basic recording unit.
 31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the processor records the information indicating the end of the recording by recording the information having the same length and pattern as that of the guard-3.
 32. The apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein the processor provides the run-in and the run out by providing the run-in and the run-out having a guard-1 and a guard-2, respectively, to protect user data.
 33. The apparatus as claimed in claim 32, wherein the processor records the information of the end of the recording by providing a guard-3, where end data indicating the end of recording is recorded, having the same length and pattern as the guard-2, at an end portion of the physical cluster.
 34. The apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor provides the guard-3 by providing the guard-3 having a length of at least 300 channel bits and a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 35. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 36. An apparatus for recording data on and/or reproducing the data from an optical disc having a defective area, the apparatus comprising: a light source which emits a light beam used to record and/or reproduce the data with respect to the optical disc; and a processor which records the data in a predetermined recording area having the defective area, and processes a linkage disposed subsequent to the defective area.
 37. The apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein the processor further performs a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data, and detects the defective area during the verification.
 38. The apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein the processor records the data in units of physical clusters.
 39. The apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 40. The apparatus as claimed in claim 38, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 41. The apparatus as claimed in claim 40, wherein the processor records the data by: recording the data in a unit of a physical cluster; providing an end portion of the physical cluster having a guard-3 to indicate an end of the recording; and providing a run-out including a guard-2 to protect the data, the guard-2 having the same length and pattern as the guard-3, subsequent to the physical cluster.
 42. The apparatus as claimed in claim 41, wherein the processor provides the end portion by providing the end portion including the guard-3 having a length of at least 300 channel bits and a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 43. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor further provides a run-in and a run-out before and after a physical cluster, respectively, to accurately record the data in the physical cluster, and records the data in a unit of the physical cluster.
 44. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein: processor records a predetermined amount of data in a basic recording unit of the optical disc, and an end portion of the basic recording unit includes a guard-3 includes end data indicating the end of the recording.
 45. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor further lowers a recording power of the light source to a power that does not incur the recording when the defective area is encountered while recording the data.
 46. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the processor further lowers a recording power of the light source to a power that does not incur the recording when the defective area is encountered while recording the data.
 47. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processor further lowers a recording power of the light source to a power that does not incur the recording when the defective area is encountered while recording the data.
 48. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the recording area comprises a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 49. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a run-in and a run-out which are provided before and after a physical cluster, respectively, wherein: the processor records the data in a unit of the physical cluster, and the run-in and the run-out are used by the processor to accurately record the data in the physical cluster.
 50. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein: a predetermined amount of data is recorded in a basic recording unit of the optical disc, and an end portion of the basic recording unit includes a guard-3 including end data indicating to the processor the end of the recording.
 51. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein, when the recording is performed and the defective area is encountered, the processor lowers a recording power of the light to a power that does not incur the recording.
 52. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein, when the recording is performed and the defective area is encountered, the processor lowers a recording power of the light to a power that does not incur the recording.
 53. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein, when the recording is performed and the defective area is encountered, the processor lowers a recording power of the light to a power that does not incur the recording.
 54. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the recording area comprises a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 55. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the recording area comprises a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 56. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the recording area comprises a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 57. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor further performs a verification of the optical disc before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data performs and detects the defective area during the verification.
 58. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor records the data in units of physical clusters.
 59. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor records the data by: recording the data in a unit of a physical cluster; and providing a run-in and a run-out before and after the physical cluster to accurately record the data in the physical cluster.
 60. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor records the data by: recording a predetermined amount of data in a basic recording unit; and providing a guard-3 to record end data indicating the end of the recording at an end portion of the basic recording unit.
 61. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the processor records the data by: recording a predetermined amount of data in a basic recording unit; and providing a guard-3 to record end data indicating the end of the recording at an end portion of the basic recording unit.
 62. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the processor records the data by: recording a predetermined amount of data in a basic recording unit; and providing a guard-3 to record end data indicating the end of the recording at an end portion of the basic recording unit.
 63. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the processor records the data by: recording a predetermined amount of data in a basic recording unit; and providing a guard-3 to record end data indicating the end of the recording at an end portion of the basic recording unit.
 64. The apparatus as claimed in claim 32, wherein the processor provides the guard 3 by providing the guard-3 having a length of at least 300 channel bits and a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 65. The apparatus as claimed in claim 33, wherein the processor provides the guard 3 by providing the guard-3 having a length of at least 300 channel bits and a continuous pattern including at least 3T and 5T.
 66. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 67. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 68. The apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 69. The apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 70. The apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the processor records the data by recording the data in units of physical clusters.
 71. The apparatus as claimed in claim 37, wherein the predetermined recording area includes a recorded area in which the data is already recorded and a blank area in which the data is not recorded.
 72. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the linkage is set so as to record the data in an area subsequent to the defective area.
 73. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein: the linkage allows the processor to resume the recording from a physical cluster subsequent to the defective area, and the processor records the data in a unit of the physical cluster.
 74. The apparatus claimed in claim 18, wherein the run-in and the run-out further include a preamble and a post-amble, respectively, used by the processor to perform signal processing.
 75. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the processor processes the linkage by setting the linkages subsequent to the defective area so as to resume the recording in an area subsequent to the defective area.
 76. The apparatus as claimed 75, wherein the processor further performs error correction in response to the recording not resuming in an accurate starting point of the area subsequent to the defective area, after the end of the recording before the defective area.
 77. The apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein the processor performs the processing of the linkage by setting the linkages subsequent to the defective area so as to resume the recording in an area subsequent to the defective area.
 78. An apparatus for recording and/or reproducing data with respect to a storage medium comprising a recording area where the data is recorded, a defective area which prevents a recording and/or reproducing of data, and a recording area provided before the defective area and where information indicating an end of the recording is recorded, the apparatus comprising: a data transfer unit which records and/or reproduces the data with respect to the storage medium; and a processor which finds the defect, processes the information indicating the end, and controls the data transfer unit to record and/or reproduce the data with respect to the defect and the processed information.
 79. The apparatus as claimed in claim 78, wherein the processor further provides a run-in and run-out areas before and after the recording area of the storage medium.
 80. The apparatus as claimed in claim 78, wherein an end portion of the storage unit includes a guard-3 where end data indicating the end of the recording is recorded.
 81. The apparatus as claimed in claim 80, wherein the recording end area is configured to be the same as the guard-3.
 82. The apparatus as claimed in claim 78, wherein the processor performs a verification of the storage medium before the data is recorded or during the recording and/or reproduction of data, and detects the defective area during the verification.
 83. The apparatus as claimed in claim 78, wherein the storage medium further includes a linkage which is subsequent to the defective area so as to allow the processor to control the data to be recorded in another recording area subsequent to the recording area. 